A touch of magic

A touch of magic

521 A Touch of Magic ROYAL S. SCHAAF Newark, B EGOT in the ventricle mater, of memory, and delivered at Jim Belmont, Currens’ graciously ...

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521

A Touch

of Magic

ROYAL S. SCHAAF Newark,

B

EGOT

in the ventricle

mater,

of memory,

and delivered

at Jim

Belmont,

Currens’

graciously

nourished

upon the mellowing

tions of P.D. come jostling-his game

New Jersey

in the womb of occasion,”

spry figure galloping

on his twenty-fifth making

a roomful

wedding

of pia

recollec-

the bases in the anniversary;

of multi-origined

in

graduate

students feel individually at home ; chatting quietly under the trees on a summer night at Harvard, Massachusetts, with Penny and her guitar at his side;

or reminiscing

about his old patient,

Civil War General

Adelbert Ames (son-in-law of “Spoonsy” Butler), who with proper care lived well into the 1930’s. Again, on a more somber occasion, his letter to the Boston Herald telling simply and beautifully time of devoted

service

in a town in Maine

given by his father,

who practiced

of the lifemedicine

until his death at 92.

But the scene which lives most vividly for me is Christmas the White

home

the Whites

in those days of Luftwaffe

in 1943.

In addition

to their

bombing

dinner at

own two children,

of England also had As a treat for Lewis.

with them the young daughter of Sir Thomas the children, P.D. had visited the Joke Shop and was prepared with But when he asked who magic to add to the festivity of the day. would like to see water

turned

to wine, no child

seemed

impressed

with the prospect,

and he had to state that at least he would like to

himself.

the children

Perhaps

were right, for the chemical

was weak

A second trick and the water scarcely showed a trace of pallid pink. Undaunted, the likewise failed of effect, for reasons now forgotten. magician shortly about the table.

produced a package of cigarettes and offered them By unfair chance there was not a smoker in the

group ; so the devoted father had to light up himself and laughed as merrily as the rest when the cigarette suddenly exploded in his face. A magician, indeed-in the skill and zeal and human warmth that bind patient, colleague and friend alike, he truly lights up, the radiant embodiment

VOLUME

15,

APRIL

1965

of a good and remarkable

man.